Farewell

Day 15 - Kathmandu Durbar Square, Boudhanath Stupa

Another early start today so we can get to Kathmandu Durbar Square before the crowds - and the admission fee.

Kathmandu Durbar Square is not to be missed, especially since it's an easy walk from Thamel where you're likely to be staying. The walk there and back is a highlight in itself, passing through alleys, crowds of locals and local markets and activity.





(link to map)

Why is there more than one 'Durbar Square' in Kathmandu?

Durbar Square, which means Royal Squares in English, is the generic name used to describe plazas and areas opposite the old royal palaces in Nepal. The name comes from Persian دربار (Darbar). It consists of temples, idols, open courts, water fountains and more. Before the Unification of Nepal, Nepal consisted of small kingdoms, and Durbar Squares are most prominent remnants of those old kingdoms in Nepal. In particular, three Durbar Squares in the Kathmandu Valley, belonging to the three Newar kingdoms situated there before unification, are most famous:

• Kathmandu Durbar Square,
• Patan Durbar Square, and
• Bhaktapur Durbar Square.

All three are UNESCO World Heritage Sites.These sites have received significant damage due to the devastating earthquake of 2015 but most structures still remain. Wikipedia

We arrived around 6:30am to an already bustling square and market. First stop was for chia tea, made for us and the locals in a little corner of the market and to Hai's consternation, with a large white rat running about and supervising the chia walla.

Source: pinterest

I've been here three times now; before the earthquake, immediately afterwards, and now a few years later. Restoration is ongoing, but at a slow pace in some places. There's still a lot to do.

Anita and Tim found brightly coloured powders and gleefully decorated their faces.  Eventually we emerged at our meeting spot ... all that is but Angela.  Eventually we headed back, me a bit later in case she emerged late. I got slightly lost on the way back and emerged on a huge five way intersection with an overpass... Google Maps got me back on track.  I was relieved to find Angela waiting for us back at the Hotel. She swears that she was in the right place and it was the rest of us that were lost.

We breakfasted at Hotel Jampa and hung about for yet more rugby. All Blacks vs Namibia. Scarcely a training run, but Namibia were leading in the first few minutes which created lots of excitement. We got even more excitement when Hai (who it now turns out has quite the phobia) discovered there was a rat living in the air conditioning unit right beside where he was sitting.

We then set off for Boudhanath Stupa (or Boudha Stupa). To make it easier we walked to a local road and Bachan and Raam flagged down taxis for us. Unfortunately Raam didn't notice that half of us had gone already in a taxi Bachan found us - this caused a bit of grief as we now had more taxis than people. But we made it in the end.

Boudhanath is a huge stupa walled in by a ring of old (and old looking) buildings - monasteries cheerily mixed in with souvenir shops and cafes.  Again, I'd been to Boudhanath before the earthquake, and immediately after the earthquake, and now.  The stupa is completely restored and looks better than new.  The monastery associated with the stupa had access to its own money and resources, and it got on with the job very quickly.

Hai bought a coconut from a vendor in an alleyway off the main area, for the juice. The process of puncturing, draining, shelling and cutting up the flesh was great to watch. But Hai only wanted the juice! I happily chomped away on the flesh pieces for an hour or so.

Lunch was at a rooftop place looking over the stupa. We were seated with some Germans from Dresden or somewhere eastern - so they spoke little English. Tim showed more of his latent skills by chatting away to them. Turns out his mother is German. I think they were happy to have someone to talk to.

No dramas taxiing back to our hotel. We got dropped off near to the Secret Garden to avoid the Thamel congestion and Angela navigated us back to Hotel Jampa like a boss. Near the hotel we bumped into Tracey who was antique shopping. Phillipa and I, along with Barb, gave her a hand and soon we were in a mysterious attic room filled to the brim with all manner of antique items. Tracey, Phillipa and Barb made a great team - Tracey the buyer, Phillipa the expert and Barb the negotiator. I was just there to watch in awe.

That evening was our farewell, as we were all heading in the next few hours or days. Raam and Barb set off gleefully on Expansion's motorbike to buy whisky for us all.  Barb couldn't get the grin off her face for ages after that! Expansion had t-shirts for Toby, Tyler and Abby, and a Bodhi tree leaf from the Lumbini tree. It was sad to be leaving.

Nepal is special, and Bharat's groups are always special too. This one was a little frustrating with the weather that defeated us from getting the spectacular mountain vistas we came for. For some of us, who may not return, that would be gutting. For me it more showed a different face of Nepal to what I'd seen before.

I'm already signed up for 2021. Annapurna Base Camp. Can't wait.